WRHT (96.3
FM), also known as "Talk 96.3", is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
, broadcasting with 100,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s that cover the Greenville/New Bern/Jacksonville area with a
talk
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct
...
format. WRHT is licensed to
Morehead City
Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast.
His ...
. WRHT is owned and operated by Inner Banks Media, owned by Henry Hinton.
History
WRHT started in the 1970s as WMBL-FM on 95.9 FM. For a time the station used to simulcast on
WMBL AM 740 with a
MOR/Standards format. In 1981 WMBL-FM changed their calls to WMBJ as "J-96" and later 'Sunny 95.9'. In the mid 1980s, WMBJ moved to 96.3 and became "Sunny 96.3". In the late 1980s 96.3 changed calls to WRHT and became a
CHR music station as '96.3 The Hot FM'.
Simulcast
In the early 2000s WRHT/WCBZ were known as "Hot 96 and 103-7".
In 2003, Archway Broadcasting Group, LLC, announced its acquisition of WRHT, WCBZ, and two other Greenville market stations--
WNBR and
WZBR
WZBR (1410 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a jazz music format. Licensed to Dedham, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Greater Boston area. The station is owned by Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC, which also o ...
—from Eastern North Carolina Broadcasting Company, Inc. for $6.5 million. Also that year, Archway bought
WGPM and
WCZI.
In January 2004, WCBZ changed callsign to WRHD. That same year while under ownership of Archway Broadcasting, the station's studios moved to
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
.
In September 2005, both stations became "The HOT FM" again as part of their 15th Anniversary.
Inner Banks Media LLC bought WRHT and WRHD as part of a cluster of stations from Archway for $4.5 million in March 2007.
On April 25, 2007, HOT FM moved to the weaker frequencies of WWHA-FM 94.1 (formerly WNBR) in
Oriental
The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...
and WWNK-FM 94.3 (formerly WGPM) in
Farmville
''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network game developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to ''Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plowing l ...
. Both were the home of country "94 HANK-FM". The Country format moved to the stronger 96.3/103.7 frequencies and became now known as "Thunder Country".
On March 15, 2010, Thunder Country and
WTIB
WTIB (103.7 FM) is a radio station in Eastern North Carolina that airs a talk format. WTIB is licensed in Williamston, North Carolina.
History
The station signed on in the late 60s or early 70s as WIAM-FM running a Top 40 format and simulcastin ...
-FM traded frequencies.
On May 3, 2010, WRHD split from the "Thunder Country" simulcast and changed their format to adult contemporary, branded as "Star 94.3".
On November 5, 2018, WRHT changed their format from country (which moved to
WNBU
WNBU (94.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a rhythmic oldies format. Licensed to Oriental, North Carolina, United States, the station serves the Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville area. The station is currently owned by Inner Banks Media, LLC ...
94.1 FM Oriental) to talk, branded as "New Talk 96.3".
On-air
Current on-air personalities include: Raeford Brown, Clark Willis, and Rush Limbaugh
Past Personalities include Grizz Lee, Miles Brooks, Charlie, Jenny Cruz, Chase, Dylan McKay, Chris Brooks, Mad Dawg, Jazz, Heather Davis, Cody,
[http://www.thundercountryonline.com/pages/15172803.php]
References
External links
Talk 96.3 official website*
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RHT
Talk radio stations in the United States